France urges elections in Eastern Ukraine

French President François Hollande called on all parties in the Ukraine conflict to draw up a roadmap to end the crisis, after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart yesterday (13 October) in which he urged early elections to be held in rebel-held Eastern Ukraine.

The aim would be to help Ukraine regain control of its borders with Russia, he said, after speaking by telephone with Petro Poroshenko, the French presidency said in a statement.

Hollande had spoken Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin about organising a summit on the conflict “very soon in Berlin”, according to a press release by the presidency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Berlin on 19 October for talks with some leaders of the European Union and Ukraine to discuss a solution to the Ukrainian crisis, a Kremlin aide told reporters yesterday (10 October).

“It is urgent to create all the conditions for elections in the east of the country, under Ukrainian law and respectful of OSCE standards. It is therefore imperative to consolidate the ceasefire and to continue and expand the disengagement operations”, Hollande is quoted as saying in a press release.

Although elections in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk are one of the conditions under the Minsk deal (see background), Ukraine says this can be done only under normal conditions, including disarmament, withdrawal of illegal armed units and creating a people’s militia.

Those who don’t understand that Ukraine is a test case for the European Union, don’t realise that the EU is already under attack by Russia, Pavlo Klimkin, the country’s foreign minister, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday (11 October) cancelled a visit to France in a furious row over Moscow’s role in the Syrian conflict.

Background

The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine (the so-called Normandy format) gave their support to a deal to end fighting in eastern Ukraine, following 17-hour long negotiations in the Belorussian capital Minsk on 12 February.

The four leaders committed to respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a joint declaration.

Western leaders are closely observing the implementation of the Minsk agreement.

On 2 March 2015, European leaders said that they agreed that the OSCE needed a broader role as observers of the ceasefire, and weapons removal.

On 2 October 2015, the leaders of the Normandy format admitted that it would take time to organise elections in Ukraine that respect international standards and as a result, the so-called Minsk peace process would run into next year.

It will take time to organise elections in Ukraine that respect international standards and as a result, the so-called Minsk peace process will run into next year, French President François Hollande said yesterday (2 October).

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One response to “France urges elections in Eastern Ukraine”

Hollande forgets that Minsk II envisaged elections in East Ukraine AFTER the national parliament in Kiev had adopted measures to guarantee a degree of autonomy to the region. Elections cannot be held until the constitution has been amended as required, and the Ukrainian parliament has not approved those changes. Holland mystifies me. He is a socialist, does he forget it? His rabid anti-Russian feelings are irrational and counterproductive. Europe’s interest lies in an alliance with Russia. Why is he more royalist than King Obama beats me.